There we stood, the parish priest, the janitor, and me. The sink in the newly-renovated parish kitchen was emitting a gentle jet of water, straight up and out of the base of the faucet, which gracefully landed—thankfully—in the sink. The three of us stood in silence for a while, gaping, amazed that a brand-new sink…
Easter is absurd. Death on a cross followed by resurrection after a few days? That’s crazy. The miracles Jesus performed in his life before that? Also, absurd. When I stop and think about the billions of Christians over time who have bought into this story, I kind of can’t believe it. But on the flip…
“Holed Up for a Year, I Hope…” Holy Week short story from Kristin Neubauer Illustrated by Margaret Wohler Jenny steadied herself with her left hand as she squatted among the rubble. With her right hand, she tried to push aside a slab of siding jammed against the remains of the patio table. She’d taken off…
Have any of you ever raised chickens? Or have you visited a farm or perhaps a zoo where you might have seen a mother hen sitting on a nest of eggs? Have you ever thought about what it must be like to be a baby chick inside one of those eggs? Let’s talk about that. …
The story begins under humble circumstances but builds momentum over time: a woman and a man talking in a cemetery under the cover of darkness on an early Sunday morning. The woman is Mary Magdalene. In movies, she is usually portrayed as having the looks of Angelina Jolie and the morals of Mother Theresa – an…
“Holed Up for a Year, I Hope…” Holy Week blog post from Hayes Willingham In March 2020, I was halfway through my pregnancy when the world fell apart. The CDC designated pregnant women as a high risk group. I work in healthcare and soon patients started cancelling appointments with concerns about risks of the virus. I…
“Holed Up for a Year, I Hope…” Holy Week blog post from Nan DeRenzi Someday, people will write books about the Covid pandemic and how it changed their lives; that’s certainly the case for me (although likely not the book part)! The pandemic-driven quarantine started the day I landed in Iowa to visit my then-fiancée, Laura’s,…
“Holed Up for a Year, I Hope…” Holy Week blog post from KC Robertson During the last week of pre-shutdown innocence, I got a little piece of art delivered to me that has since lived on my bedside table. It reads as followed: “For a star to be born, there is one thing that must…
“Hope Up for a Year, I hope…” Holy Week blog post from Toni Buranen Holed up for a year, I hope… That things do NOT return to normal. Don’t get me wrong. This has been a very hard year, globally, nationally, locally, personally and I wish the pandemic had not happened. So many people died.…
“Holed Up for a Year, I Hope…” Holy Week musical post from Emmanuel’s Handbell Choir Directed by Ryan Fitch, MM A most wonderful balm for pandemic weary souls has been the gift of music. Throughout this year of Sundays, Ryan Fitch, Emmanuel’s Music Director, has creatively orchestrated our weekly worship broadcasted from the nave. For…
